The Handshake Volume 01 Number 01 1936 February

              lr III IE III A\. N II) ~ III A\./I\ IE
VOLUME 1 - -- ST. JOSEPH-- FEBRUARY 1936 --MINNESOTA NUMBER 1
OFFICIAL ALUMNAE PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT
THE KEYHOLE
It's fun to peep through key holes!
Do you see anyone you know?
Audrey Donovan Almy '35., is firmly
established at Minot. Everything com­plete
from an oil-burner to ruffled kitchen
curtains, dazzled visitors assure us.
Dffl"othy Bohlig '34 is edifying her home
town by the excellent work she is doing
in the history and social science depart­ments.
Buckingham Palace doffs its
hat, Dorothy.
Virginia Boyd has moved, and is now
living at 5407 Lemon Grove, Hollywood,
Calif.
Alice Chandler sends joyous New Years
greetings from Portland; and a promise
of a letter to follow, containing news of
"me and mine."
Lois Coyle '27_'28 has the perfect nose
for news and sends us many choice tid­bits
from Minot.
Clara De Granda is the living example
if "it pays to advertise". She saw a re­view
of our Quarterly in a NIinneapolis
paper and immediately wrote from Sleepy
Eye for a subscription.
Agnes Geck '30, '31 is living at Glen
Ullin and is the proud mother of two love­ly
children.
Leona Hellendrung is teaching very
successfully at Little Falls.
Beatrice Klier is guiding the young
along the, straight and narrow path at
one ot the grade schools in Minot.
Helen Lamb is getting her degree in
Home Economics at the Minot Teachers
College, at the same time officiating in
the Sodality and Newman Clubs.
x l!';!~~:,d ~!···I'!.· ::':!1~~·'ifE ''.?:"1.':'.'~frl.!y the
girl on the flying trapeze at Almont,
North Dakota,. She teaches everything,
it seems,)rom Latin to Physical Ed.
Cecile M cLa"ghlin holds down it peda­gogicalchairat
Eden Valley,
FloreneeMeRae is at home iIl ". Grace­ville.
Gen M eRae is the e'pitorn.e of a very
efficient aid to shoppers at the Herbst
Dept Store in Fargo.
Lucille "o/immer '34 of "Four O'Clock
Train Fame" has gone in for dramatics
very seriously at the Browerville high
school.
Marie Schaefer, an ardent believer in
wedding bells, was a lovely bride of last
June.
AMONG THOSE
PRESENT RECENTLY
Proving the subtle strength of these
invisible ties that "bind", we at St.
Benedict's have been made happy by
numerous visitations from old girls, girls
not so old, and quite recent girls. Mary
Lou Johnson spent two turbulent days
with the "Dorm Gang" sometime in
November. Nellie Lyons, Sodality Presi­dent
in '33-'34, regaled the school with
a ·week.:.end visit just shortly after. Nellie,
who · is . teaching at Montgomery, is
terribly enthusiastic about her work and
we were terribly enthusiastic about seeing
Nellie. Scoffing at a fashionably late
attitude, Mr. and Mrs John Diemert
(Pearl Welter) of Moorhead paid a
breakfast call at the College during the
later part of November. En-route to
South Bend, with the Notre Dame­Southern
California game as their main
objective they were in a great rush, in­sisting
.. on taking possession of those
seats on the fifty yard line as soon as
possible. Julia Welle, Erma and 'Marie
Seitz, Mary Wolney, Alma Rechtd,
Florence Kelley and Mary Ellen Kelley
added to our enviable list of those who
"leave come backs", and made of our per­manent
reception committee a thing of
bliss and joy-forever!
INTERNATIONAL RELA­TIONS
CLUB CHRONICLES
NEW DEVELOPMENT
The International Relations Club at
St. Benedict's chronicles a development
for which it deserves the hearty con­gratulations
of everyone. It has ar­ranged
for joint meetings between St.
John's University and the College of
St. Benedict. The first of these was held
here at the college on December 2, the
main business of which centered about a
very successful discussion of the Italian­Ethiopian
quest ion.
Events of November 15th and 16th
ha,d i~ a m~asure prepared the club for
thIS dlSCUSSlOll, for over that week-end
several club delegates were sent to
~Tinona, where they attended the mass­meeting
of various International Rela­tions
Clubs from several Minnesota col­leges,
said meeting being held at the Col­lege
of St. Theresa. The St. Benedict
delegates actively participated in a
round-table discussion of European con­ditions,
information about which was
the general purpose for holding the con­vention.
Proving that the politically minded
can become editorially minded as well,
we are proud to announce that our
League of College Women Voters is
being held responsible for the publica­tion
of the League's publicity organ­'
The College Voter. This publication is
the official sheet for all :Minnesota ' col­leges.
In that the League at St. Bene­dict's
was just organized last year, this
recognition is a distinct honor.
Symposium for Alumnae
Members is Outstanding
Event at St. Benedicts
. Carl Sandburg
POET PRESENTS
GIFT TO COLLEGE
College Presents Elaborate
Two-day Program for Dele­gates
from Alumnae
Chapter.
An outstanding service to alumnae
members was the symposium recently
held at the College of St. Benedict. It
was attended by ten delegates from the
St. Cloud, St. Paul, and Minneapolis
Chapters. It had a double purpose:
first, to acquaint the alumnae with the
activities of the college as they are worked
out by the system of clubs; secondly to
bring this information on the pro'per
use of leisure time to their respective
chapters to be put into practical use.
The college clubs and faculty cooperated
in the two-day session, November 23
and 24, by giving demonstrations and
lectures.
CLUB DEMONSTRATIONS
The senior class under direction of
Hazel Huber, Montana, gave a demon­stration.
of what a chapter meeting should
not be III contrast to the model meeting
followhlg it with Idelia Loso, St. Joseph,
as chairman.
The League of Women 'voters with
, _ __ Mary Pottner as chairman, held a' panel
'POETRTlrNii -ORG:MlIEit· 'C~rJ~~~db;-;;;," ~';;~'';;tA;;;~;;:;;;;';;ut- '~fi;~-;;f~(/'§'rat~~\'Zfib"Jh~"l'e;ntfJ'o---""--~""
_ __ standing poets, presented the C~llege of the World Court." The stand was pre-
The College of St. Benedicti. proud to St. Ben~dict two personally autographed sented by Betty Schneider and objec-a~
nouncethat it has org~nize4:. a'Up.it of votumes:':for:Ch~stmas. .... •... ...•... '.. hons from the floor were refuted by other
the Catholic ·Poetrl' SociBt:f ,ofAmer~ca They·W'we ': hIS, ,collectioIl .. of . poeI?s, members.
to be officially known as · the Gerard "Good Morning America" and. his study RELATED. ARTS CLUB
Manley Hopkins unit. MeIIlh,€rship is "Abrahan:1Lincoln: ' The Prairie Years." .
being extended to adults. in . St. Cloud Carl Sandhurg was a guest at the Col- The Related Arts Club p~esented to the
'who are interested in studying and writ- lege a day and ;half at the opening of the guests an outline of picture values as to
ing poetry. One of the particularly at- college ~erm when he read his poems to a index of character and proper arrange­tractive
features of this na~ional organi- d~ligh~d audience. His presentation 9f ment of pictures. Da Vinci's Last
zation is that members 'enjoy the privi- hIS volul1"l:es personally autographed, is Supper was di~cussed and a copy dis~
leges of expert criticism upon 'their own bU,t one. more indication of a genuinely played by MISS Mary Carroll. Miss
work if they wish to mail it ' to head- warm fnendship formed at that time; Isabel Browne of Wadena .' presented
quarters in New York City. facts of the famou~ painting, Blueboy
Enrolled in the Gerard Manley Hop- by Gainsborough. The picture was
ki.ns unit are both faculty members and SISTER JEANETTE modeled by Josephine Antony, New
those students whose ability justifies Prague, Minnesota.
an interest above that of amateurs. The P. T. A. SPEAKER The Home Economics club demon-unit
is conducted by Sister Mariella, strated correct table service and setting.
Ph.D., whose poetry has appeared in
many puhlications including. the Com- Sister Jeanette, O. S. B., head of the SODALITY COMMITTEE MEETING
monweal, America, Our Lady's Choir, the Division of Philosophy at the college of The Student Readers' Guild presented
Braithwaits Anthology and lVith Harp St. Benedict, chose "Responsibility" as a model meeting of the organization.
and Lute. Recently Sister Mariella's the subject of her address to th~ Parent- Katherine Welter, Perham, Minnesota
poem,' "Best Platonist," was, accepted Teachers Association of the Cathedral led the discussion on Mary Ellen Chas~
for publication by Spirit where it will High School in St. Cloud on Thuesday, and her new book, Silas Crockett. The
soon appear. January 23. book itself was reviewed by Cecelia
Brandl, Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Other
books by Miss ' Chase were reviewed by
Best News Story of the Season
The theory that the law is not shatter
proof against a sweet smile and a mag­netic
personality may stiU be air-tight
in the eyes of some people; officers of
the law, in the guise of stalwart speed
cops, may still be romantic figures ac­cording
to most girls; and for all we know,
there still may be "something about a
uniform" to a few gullible souls, but not
to Bunny Rosen berger.
It happened this way. The moon was
very bright, the road, (you all know the
spot, just before the viaduct between
Joe Town and St. Cloud) was straight
and smooth, and the car was new. But
even under these happy conditions the
Rosenberger sisters were being very con­servative,
and were bowling along at an
exceptionally orthodox clip; Mamie,
perhaps, not being at all anxious to reach
her "seat of learning". There you have
one side of the story! The other? All
the screws on his motorcycle were well
oiled, the road was very smooth and shin-ing,
and the cop was feeling officious. A
brief struggle, and the chase is .over!
"One side please", growled the cop
in his beard, "you were doing fifty or I'm
a pink elephant."
And then appeared the fatal white
slip. Our Bunny had been hailed into
court! But the staunch Rosenberger
spirit rebelled. Bunny could read speed­ometers
as well as any speed cop. Wasn't
her shining B. A. a 1935 model? For
awhile things hung in the balance, and
loyal friends here at the institution
hurriedly looked up the address of the
Stearns County jail. Bunny must have
her Christmas cards at any cost! But
the hand of the law is heavy, and the
will of the law is relentless, so Bunny
p~id and. paid and paid. And that, my
fnends, IS the sad tale of Miss Rosenber­ger's
disillusionment, and why, these
days, a uniform is just a stuffed shirt
to Bunny.
Margaret Carpenter, Eau Claire.
The purpose of the Eucharistic Com­mittee
as presented by the chairman
Mary Harrington. St. Paul, Minnesota'.
in their meeting "is to foster religiou~
devo.tion ~nd t~ . study church liturgy."
A dISCUSSIOn on Romanesque architec ... -
ture as exemplified in the college chapel
~i~~e~~?a.Miss Jean Peters, Cold Spring,
FACULTY LECTURES
The Sunday session was a series of
lectures by faculty members of various
departments. Sister Anne, head of so­ciology
department and moderator of
the Women's Athletic Association, was
the first of the faculty to speak to the
delegates. She spoke on the utilization
of leisure time at the College.
Sister Stella, of the music department,
spoke on the development of the radio
during the last fifteen years and its
future. The comparison of the Church
chant. of the Middle Ages with our
twentieth century church music urging
the use of the Gregorian chant as the
(Continued on page.2)
PAGE 2 THE HANDSHAKE FEBRUARY, 1936
It-! A\ ~ II) Jf It-! A\ 11\ ~
Published four times a year by the College of St. Benedict and distributed free
of charge to all subscribers to St. Benedict's Quarterly and to all chapter members.
Editors
KATHRYN WELTER
ETHEL ENGSTRAN
EDITORIAL
RIDDLE OF THE SEASON.
When is an Alumnae Chapter not an Alumnae Chapter? Not
being very good at riddles, that one probably would have stumped
us if we hadn't been present at the two model meetings which were
exhibited as public examples at the Symposium held here at the Col­lege
in November. The first meeting was a laughable, comic farce.
A great deal of aimless chitter-chatter and rushing around was the
order of the day. The meeting ended just where it began, nowhere!
And so the bridge table was set up! The second meeting was a clear
cut contrast. Calm, serene, well-ordered, it was a comfort to watch
the business procedure. Transplanted into real life, that chapter
would get places, would be a firm believer in a straight line being the
shortest distance, and would insist on living up to the ideal of any
alumnae organization, that is, the well-being of its Alma Mater.
Laughing at the graphic contrast presented by the two meetings we
then asked ourselves the question- When is an Alumnae Chapter
not an Alumnae Chapter, and decided-When it's a bridge club!
A CASE OF NOBODY BUT THEE AND ME MIRANDA?
Everybody knows of the old Quaker proverb, and of the old
··QUakeI' with Ins slipreme " seif~colhpiacency. In our title, • we've
switched the Everybody to Nobody, and we're wondering, after read­ing
the following list, just how you'll apply the title, if at all!
1. The ideal Catholic woman has a reasonable faith-that is,
she knows Bible history, church history, philosophy and ethics well
enough to make her religious practice really intelligent.
2. She has strong moral fibre.
3. She has the intellectual culture that comes with the best that
an arts college can offer.
4. She has the savoir-faire of a perfect lady.
5. As a social leader she contributes to the happiness and ad­vancement
of the community in which she lives.
6. Christian home building is to her not only a most desirable
vocation, but also an act deserving the fullest attention of a cul­tured
woman. To it she brings intelligent planning, clear sighted
appreciation of its beauty and difficulties, enthusiasm, and gracious
spirit.
7. She is sensitive to the refinements of the arts.
8. Her inmost life is fine and beautiful. Yet her intellect is
vigorous, awake to the varied aspects of modern life.
9. What she must give to life is her first concern, not what life
owes her. Her philosophy of life is based upon the blessedness of
giving and helping.
Now, how did you score? What are the ways in which you
failed (taking it for granted some of you did because the ideal is
seldom realized)? At this point our motive comes to the foreground.
The above points are a direct quotation from our Bulletin. There
we state that our College aims to produce such a nine-point woman.
Tell us if you know why St. Benedict's failed in, putting you out a
perfect specimen. By the way, if your score is 100%, drop a card to
the Haudshake also.
JUST SUPPOSING
Listening to Peter Maurin the other day, we dreamed his dreams
along with him, and without benefit of his consent, played a game of
"supposing" about one dream in particular.
Peter said, "Open the doors of your Catholic colleges to jobless
Catholic graduates! Turn your schools, in a measure, over to your
Alumni who have sought in vain! Be Catholic and humane in your
ideas and ideals- in short, make your college a House of Hospitality
for your unemployed graduates."
Supposing we were to establish a haven for the jobless? Sup­posing
we were to turn our kitchen and our field and our campus
over to the homeless, financially embarrassed? Supposing they,
with their own hands raised their food and made their own clothing?
Supposing they tried the Catholic ideal for a while of labor for use
instead of labor for wealth? Supposing we were to do all this? Would
SYMPOSIUM FOR ALUMNAE MEM­BERS
IS OUTSTANDING EVENT
AT ST. BENEDICT'S
(Continued from page 1)
truly official music of the church was
presented by Sister Cecile, also of the
music department.
Sister Grace, head of the history and
social science division j urged participa­tion
in civic affairs and an awakening
of church pride through historical study.
Bits of information to be carried into
the home were given by Sister Glenore
of the home economics department and
Sister Irena of the art division. Hints
for beautifying the home were given by
Sister Glenore when the home manage­ment
rooms were visited and the ex­hibits
viewed. Sister Irena explained the
method used by the Industrial Arts Club
in decorating the guest room.
The symposium ended with a tea pre­sided
over by the senior class on Sunday
afternoon.
MISSSION COMMITTEE
ACTIVE IN HELPING POOR
OF STEARNS COUNTY
Last November a number of members
of the mission committee attended a
meeting at Melrose which revealed the
deplorable state of some of the Stearns
County homes, bringing to light the fact
that children in these homes could not
attend school because" of insufficient
clothing. The committee had been ac­tive
before this, but the word at this
gathering set the girls to working with
fervor, collecting old clothes and sewing
new. Here is a sample of what was
given to one family. One scalf, two pair
of shoes, two pair of galoshes, two pair
of pants, two pairs of socks, one pair of
mittens, three dresses, two dolls, six
Christmas stockings filled with toys,
candy and nuts, and'two shirts. All these
were new. The old garments to the same
family were one blouse, five dresses, one
pair bloomers" one coat, a sweater, one
pair pajamas, and a shirt. Besides this
collection other articles distributed be­fore
Christmas were: four baby kimonas
and gertrudes, a baby blanket, some toys,
a child's dress, eight hats, two pair
slipperettes, a child's smock, one scrub
brush, a curtain, and flfty-four Christ­mas
stockings.
A number .of the members took gar·
ments home with them over Christmas
vacation to sew. The result was the
following additions to the supply: four­teen
dresses, six shirts, one suit blouse,
a kimona, five pairs of pants, and six
shirts.
All in all, the clothes on hand and those
that have been made and collected are as
fo llows: thirty-six dresses, eight blouses,
two suits, eight pair pants, three skirts,
fourteen shirts, six pair stockings, two
nightgowns, nine gertrudes, five pair
slipperets, one jacket, three pair shoes,
three pair overshoes, one pair overalls,
one cap, one kimona, two baby blankets.
The old clothes are: fourteen dresses,
nine blouses, one suit, one pair pants,
six skirts, two shirts, five sweaters, one
pair stockings, two night-gowns, three
coats, three suits of underwear, twenty­three
pair shoes, one pair boots, one pair
overshoes, one pair rubbers, two caps,
twenty-four hats, one baby swing, two
laundry bags, one bathrobe, one scarf, a
smock, scrub-brush, c'Urtain, and toys.
A SKELETON RATnES
Hush, hush! We are going to rattle
the bones of the skeleton in our closet.
But it is your skeleton, too, so it is quite
all right for us to talk about it. There
are only thirty-four alumnae subscrib­ing
to St. Benedict's Quarterly. Isn't that
a shame! Just as a lack of loyal support
it is shameful.
But it is regrettable for another reason.
The Quarterly has achieved remarkable
excellence. Did you knDW that it has a
higher rating than any literary magazine
published by any private college in the
State? Did you know that t his rating is
vouched for by both a National secular
and a national Catholic agency? Did
you know that the Minneapolis Journal
recently pointed out that "St. Benedict's
Quarterly proves that a college publica­tion
can compete successfully with t he
regular commercial magazines." Did
you know that that is really so? That it
is filled with discussions of modern in­terest
that you really cannot afford to
miss?
Clara Wolfe De Conda of Sleepy Eye,
one of our loyal alumnae, was so im­pressed
with the review of our December
number in the 11inneapolis papers that
she promptly sent in her SUbscription.
And Claire Prinz, another of our grand
old girls, has for years not only been a
subscriber, but presented annually one
of her school-day chums with a year's
subscription to the Quarterly as a birth­day
gift. We t hink that is an excellent
idea.
But these exceptions to the rule are
not enough to vanquish the skeleton in
our closet. How about mailing your
subscription now just to prove that the
rattling of the old bones was not in vain.
THEY'RE ALL "IN" NOW.
foI1~;oh:r fri~;~s ~ii~h~dcl~;~~f ItS':: i~~
to the convent- but she finally did on
December 8, 1935.
We know Sister Mary Mark ("Baby"
Brown) and Sister Joyce (Eileen Kaliher)
will blush when they see this picture of
the good old days when they sported
carnival togs-but then! Their happi­ness
at getting "the whole gang in"
ought to be a compensation.
The girl in the peaked cap is Peggy.
But she has been wearing a very different
uniform for some time---ever since her
graduation in 1928 from the St. Cloud
Hospital as a registered nurse. Peggy
says being in the Scholasticate is quite a
change from supervising a floor in the
Mandan hospital.
our army of refugees, thus received, work happily and harmoniously
in our kitchen, would they perform manual labor out in the fields, and
rejoice in the clean, fresh air and bright sunshine? And then, when
the day was over, would they come back, tired and content, to our
chapel and our library and our friends, who would be their friends?
Would they, during the long, cold times when they couldn't work
outside, be content to remain with us, to take advantage of the cul­tural
opportunities within our cloistered walls? Would they be­come
living examples of Peter Maurin's ideal Modern? Or would
they resent this system of just enough, revert to type, and allow the
illusive dollar to become once more the motivating influence of t heir
lives? Would this happen, or would they be supremely content
with their loaf of bread and jug of wine for all time? Or has our
modern philosophy of keeping up with the Joneses become too deep­ly
inbred in our bones to allow for any escape? Would our graduates
on their feet once more, insist on turning their backs on our House of
f.I0~pit,!lity, onc~, more to flourish the b,!nners of "Cash and Carry",
TIme .IS Money , or would they stay WIth us? Oh well, Peter, just
SUPPOSIng!
FEBRUARY, 1936
AND SO THEY
WERE MARRIED
OUf vital statistics report a slack time
in cupids activities. In fact, only four
weddings have been reported during these
last three months. But these four
sounded so very nice that we are sure of
the quality, if not the quantity.
St. John's Church at Foley, Minne­sota,
was the scene of a lovely fall
wedding on Nov. 21, when Catherine
Rose Bettendorf became Mrs. Roman
Peter Niedzielski. After a wedding
trip through southern Minnesota, the
Niedzielskis took up their residence at
Gilman, where Mrs. Niedzielski is con­nected
with the bank.
On Nov. 26, Miss Rufina Friedman be­came
Mrs. Quentin Schoener. The
marriage was officiated at St. Mary's
Cathedral, Dubuque, Iowa. After a
winter spent in Mexico City and Cali­fornia,
Mr. and Mrs. Schoener will be at
home in St. Paul, 11innesota.
The third wedding which we have to
report is that of Margaret Teresa
Galvin, who was married to 1\1r. VerI
Wyman, on Dec. 26, at St. Andrew's
Chapel jn Bottineau, North Dakota.
The fourth wedding was that of
Dorothy Conklin to Martin J. Connelly,
who has taken his bride to live at Bemid­ji.
Because our congratulations are neces­sarily
reserved for a very few, they are
all the warmer. .11ay you be very
bappy, alumnae brides!
THE HANDSHAKE
ON THE ROAD
Probably you know that Rachel
Crother's He and She was staged by the
expression department this last fall with
great success, but had you heard about
the road tour the cast took? In a very
cosmopolitan fashion, Sister Dominica
carried her young Sarah Bernhardt-s
first to St. Cloud and then to Foley.
Cold Spring was also on the itinerary,
but bad roads- or something, prevented.
Here's a secret-Sister Dominica re­maining
of the same mind, and all other
natural causes being static, the college
is to be entertained, educated, edified,
or what you will, by a Shakespearian
drama sometime in the spring!
CONDOLENCES
May we offer our most sincere and
heartfelt sympathy to the following girls,
who, during 1935, were saddened by the
death of loved ones: J.1!larie and J.1iaTgaret
Schafer, whose mother died on N ovem­ber
10. Adeleine Peters Kiselwski, and
Marguerite Hilbert Peters, who also lost
their mother and mother-in-law, respect­tivcly,
during . the year. lWary, Elsie,
and Dorothy Hesse, who suffered the
death of their mother this last fall.
Frances Peters Groos, whose sister
l\laric died recently after a protracted
illness.
Lilias Smith and Ruth TV Qutat (Mrs.
-- DOROTHY DAY AND PETER
LOVE ME, LOVE MY BABY MAURIN LIGHT THE TORCH!
Charles Stolls) both of whose fathers died
recently.
JiJlsie Yinnelly-(Mrs. Max Kern, Jr.)
and M aryaret Finnelly on the death of
their uncle and guardian.
Every now and then a proudly ma­ternal
comment floats our way which
invariably leaves our "spinster-bent"
attitude a bit frayed at the edges. The
world seems to be full of lovely babies,
and according to aU vital statistics, the
greater majority of the best have fallen
totheshare of St. Benedict's girls, Eleanor
Schi,udler writes, with a grandly pro­prietary
air, of a small nephew, John
William, who rules at Austin, Minne­sota,
over his proud parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Harry G. Holzer (Johanna Schind­ler.)
Katharine McRae, not to be out
done, boasts of an exceedingly busy life
around a certain young Billy. "Man
In Possession" is the slogan at the E. C.
Long home, (Luella Ritten). Young
Bob, says his fond mother, is eagerly
awaiting another Benedictine picnic
this coming spring. Wet as well as
Bobby, remember the grand time they
had on the campus last May. Mrs.
Joseph Mahal, (Margaret Mary Raus)
of Redwood Falls says, "love me, love
my baby." Little Joe, she insists, is
bearing up beautifully under the strain
of being thoroughly spoiled by in-laws
and laws. Pearl Welter Diemert tells
of a tiny Verna Kay who had to be
wakened at three o'clock on Christmas
morning to see her first tree! Adding
their young dignity to our "Baby
Gallef)'~," we have nine year old John and
four year old Mary Groos making their
bow. Frances Peters Groos is their
proud parent. In order that John and
Mary may feel perfectly at home Virginia
Boyd Wiltse sends, way from Hollywood,
a photograph of sweet, serious eyed, nine
year old Virgie Lee. And Evelyn Pierce
Holmberg brought her two splendid little
boys (and their daddy, too) to St. Bene­dict's
for Christmas in a sure-enough
aeroplane with Santa driving-a darling
picture.
Regretfully, we came to the end of our
list, and find there are no more babies!
Sincere wishes for a lovely 1936 to all our
little Benedictines.
RETREAT
Can a distinct Catholic challenge, a
real cultural opportunity, a chance to be
"in" on things, be passed up because of
the obstacle of $.25 subscription? We
thought not!
Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin offer
Mrs. John Reichert (Minnie Fehren­bacher)
and daughter Rosalie on the
death of their husband and father.
ON THE STAGE
tli~'-'cha:ne'tf~e-ffi' -t.mflr' vit'a:i d'irifd'~'Yi1?tafft~ - Dfd-'y'oli "see tlie picture of'ijiir"lovely
paper, The Cathol~c Worker, and It IS up Virgin, our earnest and sincere St. Joseph,
~o u~, th.e Cathohc. lay body, to answer and our eager shepherds in the Twin City
It WIth lIke enthUSIasm: . . Papers during Christmas vacation? The
Learn what Cathollc SOCIology IS! play which offered a vehicle for all this
~he remarkable lay. persons who ed~t saintliness was Shining In Darkness,
th,S sheet are explodmg the Cathollc this year's Christmas production at the
dynamIte whIch most of our .clergymen College. Shining In Darkness was really
have kept safely locked up III padded outstanding, both from an artistic and a
boxes. . . . practical view-point. This nativity
Read about ~hlS a.mazIng CatholIc drama was enacted against a background
movement that IS settmg the world by of plain gray stage curtains. Thus, the
the e::r~. The current number of f?t. entire play depended for vividness,
Benedwt s Qttarterly tells you all about It. beauty and dramatic effects upon the
The above eut of St. John, the Pre- efforts of the cast of forty-eight. Cir­cursor,
has b~en lent to the Han~shake cumstantial evidence and rumor both
~y the Cathohc .yorker. }f there IS .any have it that the entire forty-eight came
smgle force destmed ~o ~ake straIght up to expectation.
!~d wb:wil~;~:f:::;dIitt~~s ~h: C~/h~li~ ----
Worker and the radical Catholic social
program it stands for. Treat yourself
to this publication by mailing $.25 for a
year's subscription to 144 Charles Street,
New York City.
---
BAPTISM IN CHAPEL
A ceremony of unusual impressiveness
took place in the Collete chapel on the
morning of January 10 when Miss Hazel
Huber, a senior from Plevna, Montana,
was baptized and received into the
Catholic Church. The seniors in caps
and gowns formed a guard of honor
around the baptismal font.
NOVELIST GUEST SPEAKER
Miss Helen C. White, author of the
widely-read UN ot Built with Hands",
spoke at the College of St. Benedict dur­ing
the first week in February. Her sub­ject
was "The Times of St. Francis".
This delightful and popular author is
Associate Professor of English at the
University of Wisconsin. Other pub­lications
of Miss White are: "The
Mysticism of William Blake", "English
Devotional Literature 1600-1640", and a
fictional biography of J acopone de Tode
called "Watch in the Night."
Our Valentine to You
The first number of the Handshake reaches you on Valen­tine's
Day. That is eminently fitting, for our whole heart is in
this message to our old girls who are so very dear to us. No
. alumna of St. Benedict's can ever become a mere name on the
i register. She is part of the great Benedictine family, whom her
I Alma Mater is eager to serve and to whom her Alma Mater
The annual retreat was held at St. looks trustingly for loyalty and support.
Benedict's in January starting the 'r _ • • •
twenty-third and ending on Sunday the vve are convmced that there IS nothmg better calculated
26th. Reverend F. L. McDonnell of to strengthen this bond than a hearty friendly Handshake.
St. Bridget's Parish, Ridge-:-ay, Wiscon- There are so many kinds of handshakes, though,- the chilly
sm, conducted the retreat In an under- handshake of snobs the high-brow handshake of Phi Beta
stancung and msplratlOnal manner. Tak- ' . .
ing advantage of the opportunity of Kapp~s who .clasp hands WIth the little finger and the one next
making the retreat were several of the to It folded mto the palm, and then the frank, open, hearty
lay teachers and most of the day students I Handshake of St. Benedict's. Our whole heart is in it! It is
PAGE 3
ABOUT THE SISTERS
Did you know that:
1. Sister Donalda returned from China
early i~ Septemb~r. She h~s been busy
eve.r smce lec~urmg to vanous organi­zatlOns
on Chma as she knows it-and
on the needs of our Sisters in China­which
she knows still better.
2: Sister Mary is attending St. Louis
Umversity where she expects to receive
her degree of Master of Arts in zoology
before the opening of college next fall.
She spent her Christmas vacation at
St. Benedict's where she spoke enthusi­astically
of her work and confused us
wi~h chatter about. cel?-trifuging the
salIvary glands of frUIt flIes in order to
study the genes.
3. Sister Luanne is at St. Benedict's
where she is preparing for her final ex­amination
for a doctorate in Latin at
the University of Chicago. She will re­tUrn
to Chicago early in the spring.
When she is not poring over Greek and
~~tin classics she is supervising the pub­hCIty.
for ~he College.. Can you pick up
a TWIll CIty paper Without finding some
news of your Alma Mater?
4. Sister Vivia and Sister Odette are
at the St. Cloud Hospital where they
have been for a long, long time. Although
we find them much improved at each
visit, we know they need your cheerio.
How about a message to them?
RESEARCH AT UNIVERSITY
Sister Remberta, O. S. B., head of the
Department of Biology, obtained a ten­day
leave of absence late in January for
the purpose of completing ' research at
the University of Minnesota.
She is assisting the group of workers
who, in a round-the-world trip last year
gathered valuable specimens of alga~
from Australia and adjacent islands.
The present research is under the direc­tion
of Josephine Tilden, a well-known
$peci.alist "~in, marine alga'), ,·The-...:u-nit.
of work assigned to Sister Remberta is
on .the genus Corallina. Along with
findmgs of the other workers this will be
published in the near future by the Uni­versity
of Minnesota.
Sister Grace Reads Paper
At a recent meeting of the Minnesota
Historical Society in the Twin Cities,
Sister Grace, O. S. B., head of the De­partment
of History, read a paper on
the government Indian farmer. The
recent passage of the Wheeler-Howard
Bill, which reversed a fifty-year-old
policy of the government in its treatment
of the Indian, made a survey of that
policy timely and interesting.
Acta et Dicta, the publication of the
Catholic Th-:1innesota Historical Society,
recently accepted for publication a paper
by Sister Grace on :Minnie Mary Lee,
one of IVIinnesota's earliest newspaper
women.
Sister Grace's interests in research
carried her to Atchison, Kansas, recently,
when she conferred with Sister Regina,
a specialist in Benedictine history, upon
some matters of interest to Sister Grace
in her preparation of a history of early
Benedictines in Minnesota.
as well as all of the reSIdent students, our valentine to you. and aspIrants. 1 _______ --' ________________ ___ _______ -==-_ _____ _
PAGE 4
ENTERTAINMENT
St. Benedict Has Brilliant
Repertoire
The list of speakers and entertainers
for the after-Christmas season promises
to present as brilliant a group as that
which made St. Benedict's outstanding
during the first few months of the present
year. The first seven or eight celebrities
scheduled to appear at St. Benedict's
during the post-Christmas season are:
Maud Sheerer, who read Galsworthy's
Skin Game.
Peter Maurin, the power behind the
Catholic Worker, who talked dynamically
of Catholic social principles.
The Little Philharmonic, under the
direction of George K. Shapiro, is to give
an evening concert.
Rev. James Moynihan, president of
St. Thomas College, who will lecture here
sometime soon.
Christopher Hollis, author of the
BleBsed Thomas More, is going to talk
to us about St. Thomas More.
Karl Scheurer and his String Quartette,
billed for a concert at the College the
later part of February.
Rev. Dunstan Tucker O. S. B., who
will lecture here soon.
This, we are proud to present as a
continuation of the brilliant precedent
established during the first half-year's
entertainment which included such out­standing
features as Carl Sandburg,
America's outstanding poetj Mortimer
J. Adler, the philosopher from the Uni­versity
of Chicago who is doing so much
to bring Scholastic Philosophy into favor­ahle
notice; John Gregory Murray,
archbishop of St. Paul; Dorothy Day
who is one of the leaders of a Catholic
social program of international import­ancej
Alberto Salvi, the world's greatest
living . harpist.
EILEEN MURRAY ENTERS
THE SCHOLASTICATE
The Chapters Report
ST. PAUL SPEAKING
Hello Everybody:
Now that the Christmas activities are over we are making plans
for our big activity of the year, namely our annual card party; It is
to be held at the Athletic Club on January 22nd.
Our last meeting was at the lovely home of Marie Kleifgen. We
always enjoy meeting at Marie's. She is such a gracious and capable
hostess. We are sorry to hear of the illness in Mrs. O'Neill's family.
We have missed her at the last meetings.
The delegates to the symposium tell of a delightful time at the
college. Sister Claire was a most entertaining hostess, and a lovely
tea was given for the delegates by the college seniors.
Our first big news although a year old should be of interest to
many of the old girls. Shirley Wellnitz was married to Captain
John Strechkfuss, of the Streckfuss Steamer Co. After a six months
tour in England, France, Germany and Holland they are making their
home in New Orleans. Shirley writes that she and Captain John are
planning an extended trip to Mexico this winter.
Alice Gallagher was a visitor in St. Paul during the Christmas
holidays. She is teaching high school in Cando, North Dakota.
She also assists the parish priest with Catechism classes.
Genevieve Gruber is completing her second year at St. Joseph's
Hospital. Margaret Kuchenmeister is also a student at the hospital.
Another item of interest to many of the girls is the recent an­nouncement
of the engagement of Alice O'Neill to Mr. Kenneth R.
Coleman of St. Paul. They plan to be married in early summer and
motor to New York for an extended trip.
This is the St. Paul Chapter signing off until next time.
ST. CLOUD SPEAKING
Christmas is past and what a lovely Christmas it was, not only
for the gaity of the season itself, but for the opportunity it gave us to
If the junior class were inclined that hear from classmates we thought had forgotten us.
way, it could very well afford to sit back We received a card from Mrs. Leo V. Bonnett and we'd never
and rest on its laurels, in the glow of reflected ogrl oaryt .l eaBstu tb absek- have know it was Betty Irwin if she hadn't signed her maiden name.
ing an up and coming class it has done We also received a card from Mrs. Quentin Schoener (Rufina Fried­neither
one of these things. It has man). Rufina was married in Dubuque, Iowa, one day and the next
merely assumed the prideful air of one day Evelyn Friedman became Mrs. James Haffely. She also married
Twhhios phraidse dacacteosm bpalicskh etdo Dgreecaetm btehri n8gtsh. .m D u b uque. M r. an d M rs. H a ff e Iy are at home m' C 0 Id S prm. g b ut
when Eileen Murray, class secretary Rufina is still on her honeymoon. The last we heard she had left
and inspirational influence, said good-bye Mexico City on her way to Monterey, Old Mexico. From Mexico
to her dormitory and went to sit on the they are going to Pasedena, California, for the Rose Bowl game New
oMthinenr easpidoeli so fa s cahnayp elT. winE iCleietny gisi rl frwoimll 'Y ears. T hey expect to spen d t h e W.I nter m. Ca II' fo rm. a.
be proud to tell you. Her chief interests The St. Cloud Chapter wishes to take this opportunity to ex­up
to December 8 were Latin, English tend its sincere condolences to Lilias Smith whose father died recent­and
being happy. Judging from her Iy. Lilias was here shortly before Christmas and we had a newsy
f~:;i~~ i~~k n~~b:r dofYio:eiy c~~e~e~rs chat with her.
she has added. It is this same glowing We are proud to report that three new members joined our chap­look
that adds to the pride of the Class ter. They are Bunny Rosenberger, Marion Olson, and Hildegard
of '37 and tells them that they have not Schwankel. We certainly are happy to have them.
lost their "Red" but only gained as she Best wishes to all the other members of the Alumnae Associa-has
gained. tion from the St .. Cloud Chapter.
PLEASE! CALIFORNIA SPEAKS
FEBRUARY 1936
NO WEEK LIKE IT
We wish some old girl would get the
bright idea of giving herself a real Christ­mas
present and then pass on the good
idea. We recommend a week at St.
Benedict's just before the Christmas
holiday begins. Give yourself a break
next year. There isn't any week like
it anywhere. •
Our activity and our hilarity would
put a dozen Christmas Carols to shame.
If you are socially inclined, we'd be able
to slip a tricky invitation under your
door every single day, perhaps two of
them some days. Take this year. for
instance. The Related arts club started
our Christmas snow-ball rolling with a
lovely twelve o'clock luncheon , every­thing
complete from a fat Santa to pre­sents-
foolish little things you'd love.
The Lukonions and International Re­lationers
were absolutely inspired by the
Christmas spirit, and both clubs gave
superlative Christmas parties. The food,
we were assured, rivalled any Dickens'
Christmas dinner ever heard of. Have
you ever seen a sociology class room
transformed into a thing of joy and
beauty? That's what the student Read­ers'
and Writers' Guild did for their
party! Then, as a Christmas gift to the
entire club, Miss Winfred Lynsky of the
University of Minnesota, reviewed Vera
Brittain's beautiful book "Testament of
Youth."
Or perhaps you'd be interested in
Sister Anne's dinner? Something en­tirely
new, we assure you. Between
sociable courses, the diners very learned­ly
discussed Catholic Cultural standards
and the Catholic attitude towards social­ism.
It was a nice combination-in­formative
entertaining. The list for
social activities wouldn't be complete
without some mention of our last night
at school. Festivity reigned supreme,
with an absolutely· inspirational tree in
the Rotunda, piles and piles of presents,
and a lovely Christmas tableau, and you
really should have heard our Carolers
this year. A perfect symphony of har­mony,
they were. rrhe Veterans Hospi­tal
and the St. Cloud Hospital were made
happy by their joyousness, with special
songs for Sister Odette and Sister Vivia.
Being the school monotone, we weren't
with the Carolers on their trip, but we
did hear them come back!
Suddenly a cram-laden atmosphere was
broken by a piercing s\veetness coming
from the star-lit campus. \Vindows
popped open with a suddenness that was
reminiscent of Grace Moore's window
opening scene in One Night of Love, and
there they stood, out under the big pine
tree and needipg only scrolls tucked un­der
their arms to be the Carolers of Yore
come to life. How they sang! Every­thing
from Jingle Bells to Noel. Strange­ly
peaceful, we closed our windows at
last, resolved to go to bed and cram no
more and then that last day of school­a
mad rush of packing, a perfect bedlam,
merry Christmas, and finally we!re off­to
two weeks of hliss! Sounds attrac­tive,
doesn't it? We know you'd love
it, so here's our invitation, all done up
in a sprig of holly, asking you to spend
the week before Christmas with us next
year.
PLEASE!
Fill this out and return it We had a pleasant little communication recently from our Cali- We cannot make the HAND­to
us. fornia chapter. We hear that Miss Angela Nicolin has been elected SHAKE the way you want it
chairman. She lives at 2700 San Marion, Coffield Manor Apts., unless you criticize it.
1. Would you prefer the old arrange- Los Angeles. At the same election Bertha Hoeschen was named
ment of having. an Alumnae Letter and secretary. Bertha lives at 2311 Ninth Avenue, Los Angeles. Thus 3. Do you like the editorials?
Cam])us Notes III the Quarterly to haVIng far she has favored us with a list of chapter members and a subscrip-thIS
httle news sheet. tion for the chapter to the Quarterly.
She says: "I do hope our efforts at cooperation will meet with
success, and even all these miles between us ·will not be a hindrance."
No reason at all why they should be. The best thing you could do
at once, dear secretary, is to sit down and write us all about the ac­tivities
of your chapter so that we shall have the report for our next
2. We have given very little about thern::,u:.:;m=b;.:e::,r_o::,f:;,...:t::,h::.e_H=a::.n::.d:.:;s;.:h.;;a...;.k.;..e._ _________________:
parties and social activities of the Col­lege.
We have only named our out­standing
entertainers. Would you like
more of these?
USE THIS SPACE FOR OTHER SUGGESTIONS. 4. What would you like less of?